A Multi-State Outcome Evaluation of Correctional Officer Training Academies: A Pretest-Posttest Design

Abstract

Correctional officers are expected to fill a variety of roles in a complex social environment fraught with understaffing, underfunding, and overcrowding. To prepare officers for this highly stressful work, states rely on training academy instruction. Although other fields (e.g., policing) have extensively researched the quality of academy instruction, the field of corrections lags behind with no outcome evaluations to date. Using a pretest-posttest design, we analyzed responses from surveys of 519 trainees across 3 state training academies (one southern and two midwestern states) distributed before and after training. Dependent sample t-tests were used to examine the extent to which officers gain confidence in their core functions and the social skills necessary to navigate work in the prison environment. Results indicated that although officers gain confidence in their core skills and leadership over the course of training, they do not gain confidence in interpersonal skills or teamwork. Given the varied social backgrounds of those serving time in prison, it is crucial for officers to gain the social skills necessary to respond to conflict stemming from racial, religious, and gender identity differences. Based on these results, explicit diversity and interaction-based training may help ameliorate these concerns.